Watch-barrel.



H0 MODEL.

PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

R. S. SETTLE.

WATCH BARREL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1902.

m: "cams PETERS w. FNOYO-UTNO.. WASHINGTON, u c.

' UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD S. SETTLE, OF KEARNEY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO EDWARDS AND SLOANE JEWELRY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI, AND SAMUEL A. PENCE, OF KEARNEY, MISSOURI.

WATCH-BARREL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,321, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed May 20, 1902.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD S. SETTLE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Kearney, in the county of Clay and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mainspring- IIolders for VVatch-Barrels, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others to make and use the same, reference being had to the accomp anyingdrawings,formingapartof this specification.

The object of my invention is, first, to en- [5 able the mainspring of a watch to be inserted within the barrel without requiring the usual fitting of the spring thereto; second, to removably secu re the mainspring-retaining devices within the watch-barrel.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, such as will be first fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aback view of the watchcase-center with portions of the back plate of the watch-movement broken away to show the watch-barrel and the winding mechanism, also showing a portion of the cover to the barrel broken away to show the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view in perspective of the watchbarrel with the top removed, showing the watch-spring and the spring-retaining band. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the spring-retaining band and 5 the watch-spring, also showing the projections on the band for the retention within,

the watch-barre]. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the retaining-band and the spring removed. Fig. 5 is a broken view in per- 0 spective of one end of the watch-barrel, showing the bottom and cover of the barrel and the openings for receiving the projections on the spring-retaining band. Fig. 6 is a view in detail of the end of the watch-spring se- 5 cured to the retaining band, showing the tongue. Fig. 7 is a detail view of the mainspring-arbor and a portion of the inner end of the spring. Fig. Sis a modification of the invention.

Serial No. 108,147. (No rndel.)

Similar letters of reference indicate corre- 5o sponding parts in all the figures of the drawwas.

Referring to the drawings, A represents an ordinary watchcase-center, and B the back plate to the watch-movement.

C represents the Watch-barrel, of which cis the cover, 0 the ann ular sides, and o the gearwheel forming the bottom of the barrel.

d d are the gearwheels of the winding mechanism, one of which meshes'with the gear in the bottom of the. watch-barrel.

d is the winding-stem, and d the spur-gear actuating one of the gear-wheels d.

clis the milled crown on the windingstem.

e is the mainspring-arbor, and E the mainspring.

ff are openings in the cover 0 and bottom (3 of the watch-barrel, which are vertically in line with each other and adjacent to the line of the inner surface of the annular side 0 of the watch-barrel.

In the details of the invention an annular band C, of suitable material and slight thickness, is made to fit concentrically within the annular side 0 of the watch-barrel C. The band G is nearly of the same Width as the mainspring E, and upon the edges of the band are the oppositely-extended projections g g, which fit within the respective openings ff in the cover and bottom of the barrel. Upon the inner surface of the circle of the band G is a pin g, which extends a short distanceinwardly. The mainspring E is provided atits outer end with a tongue e, which is punched from the opening outwardly therefrom. The inner end of the spring is provided with a slot e to engage with the arboreof the watchbarrel, which is of the usual construction, having the cam a which engages with the slot 6 in the mainspring.

In the application of theinvention a mainspring corresponding to the size of the watchbarrel is fitted within the retaining-band G, the thickness of which is slight, and therefore insufficient to lessen the expansion of the coil. 95 The tongue e upon the placing of the spring in the barrel G comes into contact with the pin g on the inner surface of the band. The

band G is then inserted within the watchbarrel, one of the projections g entering the openingsfin the bottom 0 of the watch-barrel and the band thereby prevented from rotation. The free end of the spring E, having the slot e is then made to engage with the cam e on the arbor, and the springis wound by employment of the usual winding mechanism, operated by the turning of the arbor d through the milled crown CF. The cover 0 is then placed upon the watch-barrel and supports the outer end of the arbor e. Instead, therefore, of the ordinary difiiculty of fitting a new mainspring to awatch, which requires time and dexterity, the mainspringof a watch is previously fitted to the band. In the selection of the materials for the band G, I may employinsulated material. In bands in which the material is fibrous theprojections g g and 9 may be made in one piece and secured within the material in any well-known manner.

The spring-retaining band may be removably connected with the bottom to the watchbarrel, as seen in Fig. 8, thus adapting the invention more particularly to clocks, the gear-wheel 11 being provided with openings h h in the line of the circumference of the wheel and the lower edge of the barrel I being provided with the projections i, which fit within the openings h h and extend through the wheel H the proper distance to be upset upon the opposite side, and thus secure the band to the wheel. Upon the upper edge of the barrel is an inwardly-extended annular flange t which retains the coil-spring in po sition within the band.

I am aware that retaining-bands for watchsprings are old and that the watch-spring has been retained within the band by means of abridge-plate extending from the upper edge and from one side of the barrel to the other and seated within notches in said upper edge. I am also aware that retaining-bands have been made with sloping points on the lower edge to engage with slots in the bottom of the watch-barrel and so as to rotate with the barrel in one direction and rise out of the slots when the spring breaks and recoils, also that the points have been held in the slots by springs split from the upper periphery of the band and upon which the cover to the watchbarrel rests. would be inapplicable to hold the band in a modern watch in which the space is limited and the spring necessarily made less in width with a decrease of power. In the other instance the spring being connected positively by the slot in its outer end with the retaining-band necessarily causes the band to be so connected with the watch-spring as to revolve in the watch-barrel when the spring breaks. In my invention the end of the tongue 6 bears on the pin g, and when the spring breaks the retaining-band is not permitted to revolve, while the spring is permitted to adjust itself in expansion and the end of the spring having the tongue to move independently of the band.

The invention may be applied to the retaining of any kind of a power-mainspringsuch as is employed in a music-box, a clock, or a phonograph, or similar uses where the economy of power is required in the coiling of a spring. The band G obviates the necessity of handling the mainspring itself in fitting it within the band, thus preventing the liability of the mainspring becoming twisted and also from becoming moistened by perspiration, either of which conditions may destroy the utility of the spring or render it liable to breakage.

Such modifications may be employed as are within the scope of the invention.

Havingfully described my invention, what I new claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with a watch-barrel having openings in the bottom in the line of direction of the circumference of the band ofa mainspring, a tongue upon the outer end of the spring, a retaining-band for the mainspring', a pin on the inner side of the band against which the end of the tongue of the m-ainspring bears, and projections upon the lower edge of the retaining-band engaging positively with the openings in the bottom of the watch-barrel.

RICHARD S. SETTLE.

Witnesses:

ROBERT HENDERSON, JosEPHUs COURTNEY.

In the first instance the bridge 

